Job-specific print defect management

Abstract

A print defect management device that supports job-specific print defect management automatically assesses print job pages to determine the severity of image quality defects likely to occur on one or more selected printers. Views of identified troubled pages may be rendered to include approximations of color and image quality defects based on the original page image data, and each printer's color rendition data and defect data, thereby allowing troubled pages for one or more selected printers to be viewed prior to printing. Suggested changes may be automatically or manually applied. Once satisfied with the image quality of print job pages rendered for a specific printer, a user may submit the print job to the same printer, thereby assuring that the user's image quality expectations are met in the printed product. The device may support job-specific print defect management with both local and/or remote printers via LAN, WAN and/or Internet based connectivity.

1. A print defect management device comprising:
 a print defect management controller that receives printer color rendition data and printer defect data for a selected printer, the image defect management controller further receiving page image data; 
 an image defect assessment module that generates a measure of image defect based on the page image data, printer color rendition data for the selected printer and printer defect data for the selected printer; and 
 an image quality defect resolution module that displays a rendered view of page image data expected to contain image defects that exceed an allowed image defect threshold, 
 wherein the image quality defect resolution module further comprises a resolution suggestion module that generates suggested changes to the page image data to improve expected image defects, the suggested changes comprising a list of a plurality of alternatives for improving or eliminating the expected image defects. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the image defect assessment module operates on the page image data on a page by page basis. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a troubled page identifying module that determines whether a printed page generated by the selected printer is expected to contain image defects that exceed the allowed image defect threshold based on the measure of image defect generated by the image defect assessment unit. 
 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the image quality defect resolution module renders the page image data according to the printer color rendition data and the printer defect data of the selected printer to produce a rendered image data and compares the rendered image data with the page image data via a human visual system model to generate the measure of image defect. 
     
     
       5. The print defect management device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a color detection module that identifies colors in the page image data; 
 a color area detection module that determines an area associated with a color identified in the page image data, 
 wherein the image defect assessment module generates a measure of image defect only for a color with an area greater than a predetermined color area threshold. 
 
     
     
       6. The print defect management device of  claim 1 , wherein the image quality defect resolution module further comprises: an image editing module that allows a user to apply the suggested change to the page image data. 
     
     
       7. The print defect management device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a network interface that allows the print defect management device to access printer color rendition data and printer defect data for the selected printer over a network. 
 
     
     
       8. The print defect management device of  claim 7  wherein the network is a local area network. 
     
     
       9. The print defect management device of  claim 7  wherein the network is one of a wide area network and the Internet. 
     
     
       10. The print defect management device of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a printer selection module that allows a user to select one or more network printers accessible via the network interface. 
 
     
     
       11. The print defect management device of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a print job submission module that allows a user to submit the page image data to the selected printer over the network. 
 
     
     
       12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a method of performing job-specific print defect management, the method comprising:
 receiving printer color rendition data and printer defect data for a selected printer; 
 receiving page image data; 
 generating measures of image defect based on the page image data, printer color rendition data for the selected printer and printer defect data for the selected printer; 
 displaying a rendered view of page image data expected to contain image defects that exceed an allowed image defect threshold; and 
 generating suggested changes to the page image data to improve expected image defects, the suggested changes comprising a list of a plurality of alternatives for improving or eliminating the expected image defects. 
 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the method of  claim 12 , wherein the measures of image defect are generated on a page by page basis. 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the method of  claim 13 , the method further comprising:
 determining whether a printed page generated by the selected printer is expected to contain image defects that exceed an allowed image defect threshold based on the measures of image defect. 
 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the method of  claim 12 , the method further comprising:
 rendering the page image data according to the printer color rendition data and the printer defect data of the selected printer to produce a rendered image data; and 
 comparing the rendered image data with the page image data via a human visual system model to generate the measures of image defect. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the method of  claim 12 , the method further comprising:
 identifying colors in the page image data; 
 determining an area associated with each color identified in the page image data, 
 wherein measures of image defect are generated only for a color with an area greater than a predetermined color area threshold. 
 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the method of  claim 12 , the method further comprising:
 selecting one or more network printers accessible via a network; 
 accessing printer color rendition data and printer defect data for the selected printer over the network. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the method of  claim 17 , the method further comprising:
 submitting the page image data to the selected printer over the network. 
 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the method of  claim 12 , the method further comprising:
 generating a rendered view of page image data expected to contain image defects that exceed the allowed image defect threshold; 
 generating a suggested change to the page image data to improve expected image defects; 
 applying the suggested change to the page image data based on an approval from a user.